The 200th episode is a landmark moment in the life of a television show. Only a rarified handful of shows will ever make it to 200th episodes, and even fewer will be able to say that their entertainment was timeless and genre-bending...but "The 200th in the 10th" will let the showrunners of Bones say exactly that.
It's hardly the first time that Bones has toyed with genres, and it's not the first time that they've molded the characters into new and different iterations of themselves - they very playfully did it before, in the season 4 finale, "The End in the Beginning."
There's something beautiful and timeless, though, in putting this much-beloved ensemble into new circumstances, and watching the same love stories, the same personal foibles, the same wit and wonder, make us smile anew.
I wouldn't dare spoil this landmark episode for you, but as you have probably heard, it pays homage to Hitchcock's era of entertainment. It's not just in the costumes or sets, either; there's a great wordless scene near the beginning of the episode that leans hard on the score's ominous intonations to set a stage filled with tension and intrigue - in a totally different way than Boneheads are used to.
Obvious greenscreen effects and over-the-top era language (like calling the ladies "doll" and the gentlemen "old sport") keeps the homage fun and light.
And true Boneheads will squee their hearts out at some of the familiar faces that flash throughout the episode...here's a few of them, that I think everyone expected:
Here's a few more things you can expect:
- An old nemesis cast in a very different light.
- One of our favorite men in a frilly apron.
- A terrific latino/bossanova musical number sung by a saucy redhead.
- An unexpected pairing of old and new cast members.
- A fight scene inside an airborne plane.
- A cold-blooded murder on a crowded street.
- Sparks - and not just between Booth and Brennan.
- Booth and Brennan spending time in a closet.
- A ride into the California sunset.
In conclusion, let's play a little guessing game: Match the character to the quote!
1 - "A bit louder, my dear, and we can dance to it."
2 - "You two were made for each other."
3 - "...science is a hobby of mine. I like to think it's the key to solving crimes."
4 - "How come you're only a cub reporter, big boy?"
5 - "I wanted to drive, and that's not working out."
6 - "Bad move, chump!"
7 - "You get out of here, you bombastic twit."
8 - "You fell for Robin Hood, sugar."
A - Booth
B - Brennan
C - Caroline
D - Angela
E - Arastoo
F - Cam
G - "Sarge" (Angela's dad)
H - "Chief" Brennan (Temperance's dad)
